Cheyenne by Lisa L Wiedmeier Page A

the main course in no time at all. It was only three in the afternoon, but the pie was done and the Tortellini was ready. This would give me plenty of time to make it to the bank before it closed at six. At least, I was hoping it was six and not earlier. Why hadn’t I looked it up on my computer? Too late now…
    I set the table, then called them over to eat. Daniel dug in without any hesitation, as if he hadn’t eaten in over a week. It was amazing. I didn’t even see him chew. It looked like he swallowed every bite whole. Callon and Colt ate more slowly, watching me. Hungrily, I consumed my whole plate of food.
    “ This is delicious, Cheyenne,” Callon said with newfound appreciation.
    Daniel and Colt nodded as well. “Thanks,” they said in unison.
    “ Where’d you learn to cook?” Callon sat back in his chair and crossed his legs.
    “ My mom taught me. She was an excellent teacher.” Fond memories of baking cookies together streamed to my mind.
    “ She taught you well,” Callon said. “I’m impressed.”
    “ Yeah, well, it isn’t that exciting cooking for one. Too many leftovers.” I looked up. “Although with the three of you, I don’t have to worry about it.” I gave a faint smile. “I hope you saved room for pie and ice cream.”
    “ Can’t wait,” Colt replied.
    It was nice knowing they really did enjoy the meal, even though I was technically poisoning them. I gathered up the plates while they sat and chatted about baseball, talking about their favorite players. Pulling four bowls out of the cupboard, I went to the freezer to get the ice cream. I carefully cut the pie and dished it into the bowls, being sure to scoop large amounts of ice cream on their servings. I slid one to each of them, returning to the counter to grab my own, and sat down again. 
    Once again, Daniel didn’t disappoint; he started shoveling it down. Colt and Callon both hesitated until I started to eat and then they dug in. I had about twenty minutes from the time the berries went into their mouths until the side effects would kick in. The only antidotes were the leaves I’d eaten earlier. My dad had warned me to eat them at least an hour in advance to get the antitoxin into the body.
    The berries paralyzed the muscles. They weren’t potent enough to stop a person from breathing, swallowing, or blinking, but their arms, legs, and torso would remain immobile. The effects would only last about half an hour to an hour, depending on the dosage. I just needed to make sure the three of them were sitting on the couch or loveseat because I wouldn’t be able to move them if they fell. I didn’t want to hurt them, just have time to get away.
    They finished the pie, and I once again gathered up the plates with their help and started cleaning. Colt neared the counter and leaned across the sink full of dishes to look at me.
    “ Are you still mad at me?” he asked.
    “ No. I’m fine,” I replied, as I started washing. I really had gotten over being angry with him. I wasn’t exactly thrilled about the situation, but I couldn’t stay angry forever. He’d been desperately trying to make amends. Now what I’d done was probably going to make him mad.
    “ Why don’t you sit down and watch the baseball game? When I finish the dishes, we can go for a walk and talk about it.” I gave a quick smile to let him know it was okay and pushed my hands into the sink further, scrubbing and swirling the water around.
    “ Ok, we’ll go for a walk then, after you’re done.” He repeated and slowly moved his arms around me in a hug; still unsure about how I would react. He pressed his face to mine and gave me a soft kiss on my cheek, near my ear. The butterflies in my stomach came to life. I’d missed his touch.
    I listened intently as he walked away, waiting to hear the creak of the leather on the sofa when he sat.
    I let out a sigh of relief. All three were watching television. Colt was on the couch, slouching across the majority of